Idiots in a boat (Manu Bay)

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Posted: 03 Jan 2025 at 2:28pm

Alan L

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One thing that puzzled me was a report that said you can't go more then 5knt 200m from shore?

How does that work for a beach launch, or more particularly a beach landing?.

Not 1 hr ago I landed thru the surf (2+m) and came in at about 30ph - because that is the speed of the waves. No f...ng way am I coming in thru that stuff at 5 knts. And yes - paddleboarders and surfers to navigate.

Alan

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Posted: 03 Jan 2025 at 3:16pm

Kevin.S

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Alan L wrote:

One thing that puzzled me was a report that said you can't go more then 5knt 200m from shore?

Those are the rules, but I can also think of numerous times that it is not practical, or possibly even safe, to follow them to the letter. If I did 5 Knotts until I was 200m from shore it would take a very long time to launch at the ramp I use.

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Posted: 03 Jan 2025 at 4:13pm

Alan L

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That rule is simply inapplicable to beach launching. Doing 5 knts max in surf is asking for trouble. That would be obvious to anyone who launches in the surf I would expect. Going out, like today, I waited several hrs for a tide turn to knock the edge off the surf. The big sets were boat breaking waves. Once we got a chance after idling out in the small sets, I spied a gap and floored it. Thats a normal day here.

There is no way you could get thru that stuff at 5knts, ever. And coming in, the safest thing is to get on the back of one and stay there. Any other plan B is asking for trouble. And it will find you.

The ramp at Manu Bay is about another 0.5 k or more to that guys right. What he was doing in there I don't know - whether he had to be there, or simply chose to be there. If he chose to be there, that is pretty stupid. From what I recall, the boat had a decent wave up the rear, and was skewed on the face. I wouldn't want to be on the boat.

But that pic of a boat in the surf amongst surfers/swimmers etc is a daily occurence for us. No other options really.

Alan

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Posted: 03 Jan 2025 at 5:22pm

Mc Tool

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Could you not have something like a ski lane .... a 50m stretch of beach advantageous to beach launching that surfers and swimmers stay out of ? Smile

I wish I was young again .... Id be heaps smarter than this time

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Posted: 03 Jan 2025 at 6:40pm

Alan L

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We have a designated boat 'channel'. Two marker poles on an adjacent farm close to the beach. They are maritime gazetted.

99.99% of swimmers and surfers pay no attention. If the best surf break is in that zone, I have never seen a surfer (or swimmer) move down the beach and surf the lesser stuff. I guess all that gives us is some legitimacy if we hit a surfer/swimmer in the channel. But odds are we will be doing more than 5 knts anyway. So where does that leave you?

And the converse is sometimes it is less safe to launch in the channel area. It is actually delineating the last of the reef area and gives you a safe line to hit the beach and avoid the rocks. But for instance in the last few weeks a sand bar built up across that channel - right in the surf break. You either bottomed out or your motor did, right in the surf line. So we haven't used it for the last few weeks. Launch in the surf with the swimmers.

It has been like this for the 30 +yrs I have done it.

But I guess my point is, the law is an Ass. Where does that leave us - supposedly restricted to dealing with that stuff at no more than 5 knts? If they want a boating accident, they sure designed one with that. We have to break that law every time we launch.

Alan

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Posted: 04 Jan 2025 at 11:31am

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Yeah, 5 knots within 200m of shore would not work for beach launching!

For this particular incident it looked to me like the boat was in the wrong place to make it back to the ramp.

My local beach sometimes has parents letting their toddlers swim at the end of the ramp amongst the boats.

And then there’s the folks swimming in the high speed access lane aka ski land further along the beach too. (I’ve had a very polite chat with one large family when I saw them swimming there and a couple of boats towing wake boarders and biscuits in and out. They had no idea what the markers were for )

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Posted: 04 Jan 2025 at 4:41pm

Alan L

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No one pays attention to the markers - most wouldn't even know they were there, let alone what for. There is a sign at the beach acess explaining - but who reads that, let alone comply. Just like the MPI sign. Doesn't stop undersize paua being taken.

But remarkably perhaps, in my 30+ yrs boating here I have never seen an incident between a boat or swimmer/surfer. Partly that will be down to the limited number of boaties prepared to baot in these conditions - not for Joe Public. And while the beach can get busy, there is generally enough space for everybody.

But it did pique my curiosity to find there is a 5 Knt rule for beaches.

As for the Manu bay - it does raise some questions about what the boat was doing in that surf. I would hope he had a good reason, because that is not the track to get him to the ramp.

Regards

Alan

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Posted: 04 Jan 2025 at 6:13pm

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Posted: 06 Jan 2025 at 8:39am

Alan L

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So I have just seen the whole video of Manu Bay - unbelievably stupid. It seems the guy really was trying to surf the waves. With his boat. Amongst all the surfers. Side on and rolling off the top of waves. WTF??

Alan

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Posted: 06 Jan 2025 at 4:43pm

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Yeah, that’s what I thought after I watched the video - hence the post.

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Posted: 07 Jan 2025 at 7:37pm

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Just watched the video and Holy smokes!! I wouldn't want to be onboard that boat. Whole heap of no thanks. I'd be in line with Alan on this one. Would becoming in way quicker than the 5knots. Imagine doing 5knots over the bar in that!!

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Posted: 10 Jan 2025 at 10:21pm

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Well the rule is clearly 5 knots or less within 200 m or the shore.I fully understand Alan's situation where surf beach launch is impractical/dangerous without gunning it - Alan: have you ever got pinged or even warned about that? I doubt it.

However, up here (Tutukaka, and no doubt in many other places) summertime, there are all sorts of dickheads. To be honest, the busier it gets the better most people behave, but there are always too many people "beach launching" then speeding off at 10, 15, 25 knots or whatever, through areas where boats are moored, within 50 metres or less of the shore. One particular dickhead today was doing donuts on his jetski round the swimming platform FFS.

So the rule is the rule for a good reason. If you break it then you need a good reason for it. (I have never see anybody get pinged for speeding except in Auckland.)

End of moan

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Posted: 11 Jan 2025 at 7:25pm

Alan L

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Yeah I agree there are dickheads out there that shouldn't be on the water. You need that rule to nail them. On the other hand if we follow that rule we will have serious boating accidents - which the rules are designed to prevent, So the rule is at fault.

It doesn't really help that we haven't been pinged for breaking the rule - legally we are in the wrong every time we launch a boat.

The reason we haven't been pinged may be due to the fact there is no one around to ping us. But that doesn't help our legal position if there is an incident.

I would suggest the rule would be improved if it had a clause to the effect that 'if it is unsafe to travel at no more than 5 knts, it is acceptable to use what speed is necessary to avoid a serious incident while beach launching'.

Those dickheads doing loops around a swimming platform would have to prove they were in danger if they travelled at 5 knts.

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Alan

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Posted: 11 Jan 2025 at 8:31pm

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Wee bit different when comparing tutukaka which you launch in a sheltered marina to Manu bay which seems to claim atleast one boat a year however based on that logic... The surf life saving club at Raglan must have a hard time with the 5 knot rule too? Since their club house can see the ramp and all

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